Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis A virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. Hepatitis A is usually spread when a person ingests fecal matter from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces or stool of an infected person. Infection can occur even if contamination is in microscopic amounts. A single source of the foodborne illness could potentially infect hundreds if not thousands of unsuspecting victims. While hepatitis A belongs to the same family of viruses as hepatitis C, hepatitis A is typically not life threatening and infection is limited and goes away unlike the more dangerous hepatitis C.
